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27 November, 2012

On courage.

Courage is hard to develop. Having the
strength to stand up for something you want and try (I mean really try)
your damnedest to get it takes a lot of fortitude, in and of itself. Not
everything is going to go your way, but if you don't have the audacity
to stand up for yourself, then why should anyone else do it for you?
Now, getting to the point where you can feel comfortable standing up for
yourself is going to take a lot of hard
work and elbow grease, but the payout will be well worth it, for the
more fears you face and overcome, the more your courage will grow.

'But Dy,' you may say, 'where do I start gaining courage? If it takes
so much work, then why bother?' That is step number one: Prepare
yourself for the work you need to do to become courageous. Come to terms
with the fact that you will not just be handed courage. If you want an
example, look no further than Gandhi. With no army at his beck and call,
with no force of any kind, he almost single-handedly defeated the
British Empire, winning the independence of hundreds of millions of
Indians. And that was all with non-violent protest!

I'm not
saying you'll have it as bad as he did, but think about where he must
have started in order to be that courageous. Start small, in the little
areas of your life. Stop lying. Don't cheat. If you're a man (or woman)
of your word, then prove it. Show the world who you are. Open up to
someone. Tell them a dirty secret. Own up to your past mistakes, and
show that you're learning from them.

Read more often. You'll
find that people with grand and amazing ideas have come before you, and
although filling their shoes can seem pretty daunting, there is
absolutely no reason why you can't. None. I dare you to challenge that
idea. Challenge other long-held beliefs you have. Are they getting you
to where you want to be in your life? Are they helping you achieve any
of your goals? If not, then do something about them.

If you
have an idea that you think merits sharing, then share it. However, be
open-minded about it. No one else sees the world through your particular
lens. If your idea merits sharing, it can most likely be improved upon,
so do not be offended if someone offers improvement.